The second nucleophile molecule binds to the acyl‐enzyme–nucleophile complex in α‐chymotrypsin catalysis: Kinetic evidence for the interaction

α‐Chymotrypsin‐catalyzed acyl tranfer was studied using three acyl‐group donors (Mal‐l‐Ala‐l‐Ala‐l‐PheOMe, Bz‐l‐TyrOEt and Ac‐l‐TrpOEt; Mal, maleyl; Bz, benzoyl; OMe, methyl ester; OEt, ethyl ester) and a series of amino‐acid amides. Most of the reactions studied can be described by the simplest kinetic model without the nucleophile binding to the acyl‐enzyme. The α‐chymotrypsin‐catalyzed transfer of the Mal‐l‐Ala‐l‐Ala‐l‐Phe group to the amides of L‐Phe and L‐Tyr showed a linear dependence of the partition constant, p, on the nucleophile concentration which can be interpreted by the hydrolysis of the acyl‐enzyme–nucleophile complex. The α‐chymotrypsin‐catalyzed transfer of the Bz‐l‐Tyr and Ac‐l‐Trp groups to several amino‐acid amides showed unusual behavior which can be interpreted by the kinetic model involving formation of a complex of the acyl‐enzyme with two nucleophile molecules. These observations can explain the conflicting conclusions concerning the kinetics of α‐chymotrypsin‐catalyzed acyl transfer evident in previous studies.